Nothing says summer like hanging out with friends on the deck, and this year, I’ve got an all-new one underfoot — but let me back up.
When my wife and I bought our house in 2018, the backyard, including the deck, had suffered from years of neglect. There was no grass to speak of, the plants were overgrown, and the deck, while quite big, was cracked and sagging. But you know what they say about getting a good deal on an old house: you have to have a vision. And as first-time homeowners, we were willing to put in some sweat equity to create the space of our dreams.
For the first few years, in addition to doing a few renovation projects inside, we focused on the yard. We planted dozens of native plants, installed a rain garden to help control water runoff from our uphill neighbors, and put in some fast-growing bushes for privacy. The old wooden deck got more of the repair-and-cover treatment. We replaced the cracked boards, power washed it and spent more than a few very hot days every other year re-staining it. We covered the most unsightly spots with outdoor rugs and dressed up the whole thing with nice furniture and string lights. But at a certain point, you can’t keep putting lipstick on a pig.
How we chose our decking
Late last year, we started seriously considering replacing the deck. As we researched materials, we kept coming back to synthetic. In particular, modern composite decking, which offers a lot of advantages over wood.
"When wood-alternative decking first came out in the 1990s, it looked lousy and performed even worse, but the category has come a long way," says Dan DiClerico, director of the GH Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab.
Compared to wood, wood-alternatives offer superior durability, longevity and safety, and they're low maintenance and come in a variety of styles.
Of course, material is a personal choice depending on what you want in terms of price, appearance, and upkeep, and there are pros and cons to every material.
Ultimately, we went with TimberTech, a brand regularly featured in GH’s best-of roundups. The line we went with, TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking Vintage Collection, even won a 2025 GH Home Reno award!
"TimberTech’s Advanced PVC Decking is up there with the best," says DiClerico. "It’s almost indistinguishable from real wood, without any of the maintenance requirements, like staining or dealing with splinters and popped nails. It’s one of the products I recommend to homeowners the most."
Besides the great colors (we picked Weathered Teak), I liked that the Vintage Line is made from approximately 60% recycled material, and it’s fully recyclable at the end of its useful life. Plus, TimberTech’s Cool Touch technology keeps the deck up to 30 degrees cooler, a must for our sun-loving dog, Olive.
TimberTech generously offered me a discount on materials, but cost was still an important factor for us. Upfront, composite decking, like what I got from TimberTech, is more expensive than wood. But considering the low maintenance (no sanding, staining or replacing cracked boards) and long lifespan — not to mention TimberTech’s Limited Lifetime Product Warranty and the 50-Year Fade & Stain Limited Warranty — I’m happy with the value.
Design and construction
We used the online design site Yardzen to help with design. First, we submitted photos of our current deck and yard, along with detailed notes about what we had in mind. Then, after a couple of back-and-forths with a Yardzen designer, the service produced detailed renderings of the finished product — complete with furniture and plant suggestions. Because we were building on the existing deck footers and had a good idea of the style we wanted, we mostly used the design service to confirm that our ideas would work and looked good. But Yardzen will take you all the way through the project, including suggesting local contractors and providing links to buy the products they recommend.
Despite some weather delays, the deck construction process went pretty smoothly. My contractor, Tom Fredrick of TNS Home Improvements, and his team demo'd the old deck in a day, and completed the new build in a few weeks. Installing a plastic or composite deck is a bit different from putting in a wooden one, but the guys knocked it out quickly and it looks great.
The finished product
I think the photos speak for themselves, but we have thoroughly enjoyed our new deck so far and couldn’t be happier with the materials we chose. The boards are soft and cool underfoot (no complaints from Olive!), easy to clean with a quick squirt of the hose or puff from the leaf blower, and have held up well to dirt, rain, and metal furniture.
From breezy Sunday mornings and afternoon hangs with friends, to fun Friday nights in the hot tub, the deck has been the perfect backdrop for the kind of life we enjoy.
Beth (she/her) is the executive editor of Good Housekeeping, where she oversees all print content and manages features, personal essays and special projects for the brand. She is a former executive editor at Woman’s Day and features director at Reader’s Digest and a current adjunct professor at New York University in the School of Professional Studies. As a former college and semi-professional soccer player, she twice had the unfortunate experience of playing against Abby Wambach.
